A global digital data base of soil properties is available at 1 degree longitude resolution. For each land cell, the data base includes major and associated soil units, surface texture, and slope; phase and miscellaneous land units are included where available. The data base was compiled by Leonard Zobler as part of an effort to improve modeling of the hydrologic cycle in the GISS General Circulation Model.
Use Cases
- Parameterizing soil properties for global hydrologic cycle modeling based on the described soil units and texture.
- Analyzing global soil texture and slope characteristics for land surface process studies.
- Incorporating foundational soil data into General Circulation Models (GCMs) for climate research.
Strengths
- Global spatial coverage at a 1-degree longitude resolution.
- Includes multiple soil property layers: soil units, surface texture, and slope.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- Leonard Zobler
- Collection Method
- Compiled as part of an effort to improve modeling of the hydrologic cycle in the GISS General Circulation Model.
- Geography
- Global